Mardi Gras Film Festival unveils full 2017 program

Queer Screen today announced the full line-up for the 24th Mardi Gras Film Festival (MGFF), with a wide array of features and shorts screening from February 15 to March 2 2017.

“Continuing our focus on diversity and aiming to be a truly representative LGBTIQ film festival has been our guiding vision,” explains Festival Director Paul Struthers.

“While we still feature this year’s best coming-of-age movies, we are screening stories about the young and old in our community and everyone in between. Building on last year’s expanded program, we have again increased the proportion of lesbian and transgender content and included more people of colour.”

The festival kicks off on February 15 with opening night film A Date for Mad Mary, a charming Irish dramedy about a young female ex-con who falls for the photographer at her best friend’s wedding.

This year’s program includes a special screening of the highly anticipated When We Rise, the forthcoming miniseries about the birth of the gay rights movement from Gus van Sant and Dustin Lance Black, which stars Guy Pearce, Rachel Griffiths, Mary-Louise Parker, Whoopi Goldberg and many more.

And if movie stars are what you seek, King Cobra sees James Franco, Christian Slater and Hairspray Live!‘s Garrett Clayton telling the sleazy story of Brent Corrigan’s berth in the gay porn industry.

As with last year’s MGFF, films will screen far beyond Sydney, including in the Blue Mountains, Parramatta, Canberra and in regional centres like Lismore and Wagga Wagga.

Highlights of the line-up include Marco Berger and Martín Farina’s sensual Taekwondo, 2016 Teddy Award winner Tomcat, tender lesbian romance AWOL, Russell Tovey drama The Pass, off-beat indie comedy Women Who Kill from the co-creator of The Slope, André Téchiné’s highly acclaimed Being 17, and closing night film Handsome Devil which drew raves at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

MGFF will once again feature Australian filmmakers in My Queer Career, Australia’s biggest queer short film prize, as well as screenings of Fin Edquist’s Bad Girl and Craig Boreham’s Teenage Kicks.

The festival will also throw back to queer cinema classics past, screening Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, 2007 hit Shelter and a sing-a-long screening of the gloriously camp 1953 Doris Day musical, Calamity Jane.

About the AuthorLaurence Barber

Laurence is Star Observer's Arts & Culture Writer and Digital Co-ordinator. His background is in film, television and arts criticism with a focus on LGBTI representation in media. For jokes, commentary and actress GIFs, you can follow him on Twitter @bortlb.